Several schools across the area are set to benefit from round 3 funding of the Safe Routes to School Programme (SRTS), announced on Friday, being named amongst 141 schools nationwide following the latest announcement.
Both CBS Primary Mitchelstown and Scoil Chaitríona (Ballynoe NS) have been approved within Cork County Council’s catchment, while Glenbrohane NS in Co Limerick, along with Martinstown NS, Kilmallock, were successful applicants.
SPECIAL DESIGN
Recognisable safety design features, such as pencil shaped bollards, colourful road markings, improved footpaths and pedestrian crossings, will be amongst the ‘School Zone’ improvements implemented to help highlight the presence of the school and encourage traffic to slow down and increase active travel among students.
Following successful trials earlier this year on schools located on higher speed rural roads, 67 of the 141 schools announced last week, will, for the first time, be included in the programme – Scoil Chaitríona (Ballynoe NS), along with Glenbrohane NS and Martinstown NS, Kilmallock, are scheduled for works in this category. Here, the design approach at these schools will be different to the standard ‘School Zone’ approach, with the focus being on alerting motorists to the presence of schools and encouraging lower speeds and more attentive driving. This will be achieved through signage and road markings at the front of the school.
Senior engineer with the Active Travel department at Limerick City & County Council, Sean McGlynn, noted the continued expansion of the team’s work as they ‘continue to expand and upgrade Limerick’s walking and cycling network, across both the city and the county’.
“The key element of this initiative is that the schools themselves have applied directly to the NTA for funding – in other words, each of these schools already has a keen interest and desire for safer facilities at drop-off and collection times. We look forward to beginning work with these schools and other various stakeholders in the near future to ensure the continued delivery of quality infrastructure benefitting Limerick schoolchildren,” he said.
Launched back in 2021, the SRTS programme provides local authorities with targeted funding to enhance safer front of school environments and improved walking and cycling infrastructure around schools. By alleviating traffic congestion and fostering safe and sustainable travel habits, the programme aims to make active commuting more accessible for students throughout the country, with 414 schools now actively engaged in the programme to date.
Limerick City & County Council’s Active Travel team was allocated €300,000 by the NTA in 2024 for the design and delivery of various Safe Routes to School schemes. It is anticipated that this funding allocation will increase in 2025 in line with the addition of new schools to the programme.
‘POSITIVE IMPACT’
“It has been so encouraging to see the growing number of young people cycling and walking to school because of the Safe Routes to School projects that the NTA has helped deliver with our partner local authorities,” Anne Graham, CEO of the NTA, said. “We’re committed to overseeing the delivery of new projects as we announce the third round of the programme and ensuring that its positive impact is felt by schools in every corner of the country. That is why there is such a strong focus on rural schools this year.
“We will continue our strong close partnership with The Environmental Education Unit of An Taisce which co-ordinates both the Green-Schools and Safe Routes to School programmes, and with local authorities throughout the country. Seeing more young people using sustainable travel options daily is truly encouraging, and with each new round of projects, we’re making active travel a safer choice for communities,” she said.
The latest round was announced by Minister for Transport, Eamon Ryan and Minister of State, James Lawless at Holy Child National School in Naas, Co Kildare, who joined the National Transport Authority (NTA). To date, works have been completed at 82 schools, with 37 schemes at construction and 162 in design.
, announced on Friday, being named amongst 141 schools nationwide following the latest announcement.){kind=link}